Content area
Full Text
The Chrysanthemum Throne. A History of the Emperors of Japan. By PETER MARTIN. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1997. xi, 175 pp. $24.95.
This book will help many to gain insights into Japan's unique imperial institution. It is a popular narrative, handsomely produced with many photos, maps, and diagrams.
The author's expressed purpose is "to give some account of the 122 individuals . . who are said to have preceded the present emperor on the Chrysanthemum Throne . . . and to suggest reasons for the institution's unique durability" (p. 2). Martin was sent to Kyoto in 1963 by the British Council and during his stays in Japan, a total of eleven years, he met a number of prominent Japan-scholars and members of the imperial family. These associations and his affection for Japan inspired this work.
Martin is a friendly but not a fawning narrator. The introduction deals with the history, contrasted with mythology, of the imperial institution and topics associated with it: "Japan," "Emperor," the "Chrysanthemum," etc. The narrative proceeds chronologically and is divided into chapters whose headings indicate the general tenor of the times that follow. Each chapter has a short summary of the history of the period to be...